


Mirror Image

by Starry_Dreamer



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Sprinkled over with a bunch of headcanons of course, The Knight isn't empty, They don't call themselves 'Ghost' yet, Thoughts and emotions are hard for them though, Yes this is about that encounter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-19 06:08:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29870319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starry_Dreamer/pseuds/Starry_Dreamer
Summary: Deepnest was a place that always made them feel on edge, no matter how many hardships they'd been through. They still wanted to explore it now that they were ready, but nothing could have prepared them well enough to deal with this creature in the dark, that made them feel like they were staring at their own reflection.Could this be what they had been looking for? Or was it something more sinister?
Kudos: 20





	Mirror Image

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a REALLY long time since I ever finished writting something, or tried to write at all, but lately I've been reading fics again and I felt inspired to write about some of my headcanons about this game, and this encounter in particular. So, well, here we are. I did my best, but english is not my first language, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes or awkward wording. I hope you can enjoy it anyway.

Strange, almost unnatural sounds echoed through the walls of the dimly lit cavern. The chirpings, shrieks and uncanny chants of bugs pierced the otherwise silent nest, along with the tiptoeing of spiders and the almost deafening crunching of the claws of the giant garpedes as they scurried by in their tunnels. The knight couldn’t tell whether those bugs were near or afar, or from where in the darkness they would emerge when they tried to jump on them, but they knew one thing: they were probably hostile. Whenever they attacked, they had to be ready.

They had become quite a bit stronger since they arrived at Hallownest. Their old, broken nail had been restored to its former glory, they learned some spells, they even earned themselves a new protective mask and a few charms, and defeated some formidable foes, all on their own.

And yet, they still felt uneasy.

It was a strange feeling. A distant one, like most if not all of their feelings. A numb sensation colored their every emotion, to the point where they hardly ever cared about anything at all. Every now and then there would be a spike, maybe a tint of sadness, or joy, or determination, that they felt more strongly than usual, but it didn’t happen often, and even then, the overwhelming numbness was as present as ever. Even physical pain wasn’t that much of a bother for them, it may be much more intense than any emotion, but as long as they could stand, they could only really feel slightly inconvenienced.

They had often wondered why. They had met many other bugs in their journeys, and each and every single one of them seemed to experience emotions much more intensely than they did. At least, that would explain the extreme reactions they all had to everything, while all they could manage in return was a silent stare. They could say yes and no, tilt their head in curiosity, or prepare to fight, but overall, they weren’t very expressive, since...well, they didn’t really have the ability to be.

They had always suspected they were different, somehow. In which way, they didn’t know. But even though they found it hard to care much about it, sometimes it made them feel like an outcast. And they didn’t like that feeling. If only they could remember who they were, where they came from.

If only they could ever find other people who were like them.

The sound of the floor giving in under their weight startled them. They reacted quickly and dashed away to avoid falling into a pit of spikes. They glanced over to check it out, yup, it was only spikes. These traps were really inconvenient, they couldn’t even see them in time.

The small knight turned away and continued walking through the tunnel, paying attention to every little noise. This emotion... Was it fear? Probably. It made them not want to be there for long, though their curiosity and their desire to solve the mystery of this land compelled them to explore every nook and cranny of the kingdom. Perhaps their numbed emotions could be good for something.

They wished the place was a little less dark, though. They pictured in their head the image of that lamp Sly still had in his shop. If that bug who said she was a banker hadn’t run away with their money, they would already have it. They knew they needed it to enter that mysterious hallway in the Forgotten Crossroads, and that weird sanctuary in Greenpath, and they suspected they would soon need it to explore the rest of this place. If they had a light source, maybe they would be able to discern the details of those strange shapes in the darkness, like that one that looked so much like themselves. Maybe that way-

Wait... What?

They quickly turned around, trepidation rushing through their body.

But...there was nothing there. They could have sworn...they could have sworn they saw _something_. There was something white...and it looked so much like _them_. Was it their imagination?

They picked up the pace, trying to reach that section of the winding tunnel as fast as possible. It didn’t take them long to get to that spot, but as they scrutinized the area, they saw nothing. They listened intently, while looking around, but they couldn’t hear any sounds, besides the usual ones, that is. They stayed still for a couple minutes, just in case they perceived something they had missed.

And the more they stood there, the more their usual numbness settled in again. Until they calmed down.

Perhaps it had just been their imagination.

They knew the most convenient entrance to the Deepnest at this point was the tram.

The familiar sight of the hot spring greeted them as they entered the room. They stepped inside the water and felt their body relax, as their soul reserves filled up thanks to its properties. They indulged in the pleasant feeling for a few minutes before jumping out and sitting on the nearby bench to check out their map again.

They had explored quite a bit last time they were here, but judging by the pinned mask they could still see on the farthest corner of the paper, they still had a long way to go. It felt like a daunting task, especially due to the freakish nature of the place, but they figured they were as ready as they could ever be. After all, they had already traveled far and wide all throughout the kingdom, discovered many things and gotten much stronger than they were before. Deepnest (and by extension, Herrah the Beast’s location) was one of the last few places they still needed to explore, so that was their mission for today. Thankfully, the hot spring doubled as both a safe haven and the nearest entrance to the places they had not been in yet. So it was a good starting point. The tram being nearby only made things that much easier.

They rolled the map and tucked it away inside their cloak. They leaned back against the bench, looking at the ceiling. There was still something on their mind. Something they were worried about. Some discoveries they had made, that now made them feel restless. Because, despite having answered some questions, new ones had arised, and they had no idea what to do or where to go to even search for the answers.

But they couldn’t dwell on that. Not today. They had a mission to fulfill, and they needed to keep their mind sharp. So they straightened up and turned their attention towards their charms to shuffle them around. They picked a cool new one they had gotten on the way there, along with a few others that fit, and once they finished they got up and started their trek towards the dark tunnels ahead.

It wasn’t long until a ledge above some spikes caught their attention. They managed to reach it using the monarch wings, and as they had thought, the wall in front of them looked suspicious. After hitting it with their nail, they took it down and found themselves in a small room with a grub in it. They smashed the jar it was in immediately, observing the grub as it made happy noises (they were still alert just in case it was another mimic) before it burrowed itself into the ground.

The small knight then turned around to inspect the rest of the room. It wasn’t very big, which somehow was suspicious. They quickly discovered a second secret wall, which crumbled away with a few nail strikes. A long, dark tunnel stretched in front of them, as far as they could see (which, to be honest, wasn’t very much). Holding the lumafly lantern with their tiny hands, they walked into the darkness.

It was strangely quiet in there. It made them feel...tense. Funny, the lack of noise should mean the lack of enemies, and yet, they somehow felt in danger. They kept looking around the tunnel, shining their light into the gaps in the walls, through which they could peek at the nearby corridors and passageways that awaited them further below, as if they were different sections of the same winding maze.

They continued walking for a while. Until they saw it.

A dark, cloaked figure, bearing a shining white mask.

A shining white mask that looked exactly like their own.

The knight stopped in their tracks, frozen. They had seen this before, but this time, it was by no means a trick of their mind. Their other self was clearly standing there, quietly, moving ever so slightly, glancing in the opposite direction, almost as if they were waiting... Waiting for them, perhaps?

A flurry of emotions swirled inside their chest. The sight of someone so similar to themselves was unsettling, especially in a place like this, however...they could feel something else. Mixed in with all the uncertainty, they felt thrill.

The thrill of knowing they weren’t truly alone in this world.

They didn’t know how long they stood there, staring at their other self, until they willed themselves to take their eyes off of them. Then they ran, as fast as they could. When they reached the end of the hallway, they eagerly took the turn towards what could possibly be the same passage they had seen their double stand in. They were right in their deduction, but when they got to the familiar spot, there was no one there.

The little knight didn’t care. They had to keep going. They continued the chase even further below, breaking down another wall, their mind fixated on one thought and one thought only: _kin_.

They had seen it, down at the bottom of the world. The place of their birth, the Abyss. Jiji had told them that sometimes bugs leave their regrets behind in the world, like black stains, and they’d thought perhaps, perhaps that was the meaning of the shadow they left behind every time they died, but... Once they set foot down on that wretched pile of bones, and the darkness started emerging from it, they knew. This wasn’t normal. They weren’t normal. Which they already suspected, but it was now confirmed.

They instinctively knew these shadows were their siblings. And they had a feeling that, whatever it was the explanation for their nature and their existence, it wasn’t very normal either.

What seemed to be inmediately clear was that all of their siblings were dead. And yet...

There it was again, the same figure from before, shaped exactly like them, looking up from a nearby ledge. They had to be one of their siblings, and they looked very much alive. And real. They HAD to be real, there was no way they were just seeing things this time. How was it even possible? They almost couldn’t believe what their eyes were showing them. But if they themselves were alive, why couldn’t their sibling be?

Once again, when they reached the spot where their sibling was standing on, they were already gone. As they continued, they ran into a small opening of the tunnel where a couple of corpses laid. They glanced at them for a moment. _Odd_ , they thought. These weren’t the first corpses they’d seen on the way through, however, most of the husks they had encountered around the Deepnest were infected and, sometimes, parasitized. But they just realized they were finding so many inert corpses here, in this narrow tunnel, which had been initially hidden by a breakable wall... They were starting to get intrigued.

The small knight pulled out their dream nail. Upon striking the nearest corpse, the last thoughts of the dead bug echoed inside their mind. _“You were dead…?”_ That gave them pause. They slowly turned their gaze towards the darkness that awaited them further ahead, a cold chill running down their spine.

This...was a trap, wasn’t it?

It...had to be. It was only logical. Why would their sibling stay put until they ran off the moment they approached? Why would they be guiding them further and further into this dark, twisting maze? Why would this bug utter that thought unless...unless they saw someone they had thought dead? Just like...their siblings, they were... They had to admit it, perhaps they were projecting, but now they couldn’t take these thoughts out of their mind.

They felt their hand clutch the handle of the dream nail until it almost hurt. Anger, sadness, fear, confusion, disappointment... They weren’t used to feeling so many strong emotions at once, and they were starting to feel overwhelmed by them. They were almost angry at themselves, for feeling hopeful. Didn’t they feel like something was fishy from the start? Why did they try to shut that down, in favour of the silly hope that one of their kind was alive? Even though they could see them in front of their very eyes... This was still Deepnest, of course they had to be suspicious of everything.

What should they do now? Thinking was already a hard thing to do without all these emotions swirling in their chest. So they tried breathing. Taking deep breaths seemed to calm down bugs when they panicked. They didn’t strictly _need_ to breathe, but it seemed to be helping. They sat on the ground, hugging the dream nail, and tried to focus on their breathing.

Eventually, the emotions faded. They always did. Well, some of them still lingered, but they weren’t strong enough to cloud their judgement anymore. Now they could think.

They looked at their dream nail, considering everything they had learned so far. Whatever they had seen, it looked like them, yes. It also seemed to be drawing them deeper and deeper into this labyrinth. For what purpose? The corpses seemed to be eerily pointing towards the answer to that question.

So this was, most likely, a trap. A trap set by someone clever enough that they knew exactly how to lure their prey into it. How or why, they didn’t know, but it didn’t feel like a good idea to continue forward. However...

They lifted their head and looked again at the dark tunnel. Despite the obvious dangers lying ahead, they still could’t help but be _curious_. Curious about this place, curious about the creature, curious about the how and why and possibly the tiniest bit of hope that maybe it was actually not a trap. But more importantly, curious about what could possibly be the reward wating for them at the end of this path.

Curiosity is what moved them. It’s what fueled their urge for exploration, it’s what kept them interested in this world despite spending so many years (centuries?) travelling far and wide before coming to this old kingdom. And so far, especially in Hallownest, their exploration had always been rewarded with trinkets and treasures they’d carefully stored inside their cloak.

They knew if they continued, they would likely have to fight. But that was ok. They actually enjoyed fighting, and even if they died, they’d come back. They always did. It was frustrating at times, but they would always get stronger with each attempt. So whoever was trying to lure them to their death would have to fight for it, and they were gonna have a taste of their trusty coiled nail.

With newfound determination, the little knight got up, tucked away their dream nail, and continued forward.

It wasn’t long until they heard the pitter-patter of someone else’s footsteps. Turning around at the sudden sound, they managed to catch a glimpse of their look-alike as it ran past, again through a nearby but yet unaccesible tunnel. It droppped down somewhere, and the knight couldn’t see or hear it anymore. They still stood there for a few seconds, seeing their double actually _move_ this time had actually scared them somehow. Maybe they were a tiny little bit hopeful again. Maybe. But they still didn’t trust it.

After checking around and finding a very convenient shortcut to the entrance (was the entire mess of tunnels just for show?), they knew it was time. They followed the path their other self had taken before, and dropped down the hole to find...no one, of course, but they already expected that.

Instead, there was a long, long hallway in front of them, shrouded in darkness. They could try to use their crystal dash, but for some reason, they hesitated to do that. So they started to walk.

As they went further, apprehension started building in inside their chest. Maybe they were just nervous about the probable inminent fight. They had to wonder, why were they scared, when they had fought countless of foes already? Was it perhaps the uncertainty of what exactly was awaiting for them on the other side? Or, perhaps it was because it had suddenly gotten extremely quiet.

Just as they made that realization, they heard a snapping sound right behind them. For a split second, they froze, but upon recovering they inmediately turned around. The way they’d come from was now blocked off by a barrier of some kind. They withdrew their nail and attempted a couple swings at the material. Despite looking organic in nature, it made a metallic sound on contact, and they couldn’t make a dent on it. Not that they’d expected to, anyway.

Well, there was no turning back now.

They turned away from the barrier and continued forward. Every few steps, they would hear the sudden sound again. They didn’t turn back. They knew at this point they were fully commited to the path ahead.

Finally, they reached the end of the pathway. They now found themselves in an enormous cavern, relatively well illuminated compared to the rest of Deepnest, even though there was no evident light source. The knight put away their lantern and looked around, but they couldn’t see anything or anyone from where they were. Then they looked up, and their eyes widened.

At least a dozen bugs were hanging from the ceiling, covered in dark webs which the knight suspected were made from the same material that closed off the entrance behind them. None of them were moving an inch, so they were probably dead, but whether they were food for later or just mere trophies was something they didn’t know, and didn’t _want_ to know. They could identify some local bugs among the corpses, like the dirtcarvers, there was even a stalking devout, and...

...their siblings.

And a good portion of them, too. For each Deepnest bug they could see, there was a sibling corpse to match.

Their heart sank at the sight. But soon, that feeling subsided in favour of a boiling anger. Whatever this creature was, it had been hunting down their siblings, probably luring them with tricks, too, and then it hung them from the ceiling like some sort of background decoration. Could their siblings have survived until now, had they never encountered this beast? Even if the answer was no, the knight was still willing to hold it responsible for their deaths, especially after being tricked by it into thinking they were finally about to meet one of their own kind for the first time.

Taking a deep breath, knowing what was coming next, they walked in. They jumped on the big, wide platform in the middle of the room. Ah, there it was. The one they’d been looking for. It stared at them, and they stared back, both of them standing perfectly still. It was a perfect copy, a mirror image of themselves. But it was no lost kin. There was nothing about it they could trust.

Slowly, carefully, they took a few steps towards it.

_SNAP!_

Its sudden scream made them freeze in place. At the same time, its head contorted in an unnatural way, seemingly snapping its own neck. Soon enough, however, it became clear that it probably wasn’t its _real_ neck. Which made sense, considering that wasn’t its real body either, for it began to undergo a rather grotesque transformation.

First, its decoy body shot out from the ground, hanging off of what turned out to be a long neck which was connected to a small, infected core. But this core soon became bigger, surrounded by a ribcage with long spikes on its back. Then it sprouted legs. Then its legs became longer. In the end, the creature ended up looking like some sort of spider, but still somehow, different. Its old head was still an exact match of theirs, only upside down. There was no way of telling if this was actually its real head.

The entire time it lasted, the knight just stared, almost glaring, fully concentrated on the creature in front of them. The anger they’d felt mere seconds ago started to fade away, for now it was not the time to dwell in such emotions. Instead, it got replaced by determination and a tinge of adrenaline. Nothing else. There wasn’t anything left on their mind in that moment but readiness for the inminent confrontation.

Their numbed emotions were good for at least one thing: to not let themselves get distracted in a fight.

They raised their weapon. And the battle started.

**Author's Note:**

> I know some people would argue that the reason the knight sees themselves is because they love nobody, and/or they're just empty. But I've always toyed with this idea in my head that they just wanted to find someone like themselves, especially since they lost their memories about who they were and where they came from. Besides, it makes the idea of Winged Nosk disguising as Hornet even more interesting.
> 
> Also, yes, I took some liberties with how the layout of Deepnest would look like in real life since, obviously, these bugs shouldn't be able to see through walls. xD I hope it made sense, lol.


End file.
